Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary people singer-songwriter has died on the age of 84.

The musician’s hits, which included Early Morning Rain and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, advised a story of Canadian identification that was exported worldwide.

Representative Victoria Lord mentioned the Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital on Monday. His explanation for dying was not instantly accessible.

Considered some of the famend voices to emerge from Toronto’s Yorkville people membership scene within the Sixties, Lightfoot went on to file 20 studio albums and pen lots of of songs, together with Carefree Highway and Sundown.

Once referred to as a “rare talent” by Bob Dylan, dozens of artists have coated his work, together with Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, Jane’s Addiction and Sarah McLachlan.

Most of his songs are deeply autobiographical with lyrics that probe his personal experiences in a frank method and discover points surrounding the Canadian nationwide identification.

His 1975 tune The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald chronicled the demise of a Great Lakes ore freighter, and 1966’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy depicted the development of the railway.

“I simply write the songs about where I am and where I’m from,” he as soon as mentioned. “I take situations and write poems about them.”

Often described as a poetic storyteller, Lightfoot remained keenly conscious of his cultural affect. It was a job he took very critically.

“I just like to stay there and be a part of the totem pole and look after the responsibilities I’ve acquired over the years,” he mentioned in a 2001 interview.

While Lightfoot’s mother and father recognised his musical abilities early on, he didn’t got down to turn out to be a famend balladeer.

He started singing in his church choir and dreamed of changing into a jazz musician. At age 13, the soprano received a expertise contest on the Kiwanis Music Festival, held at Toronto’s Massey Hall.

“I remember the thrill of being in front of the crowd,” Lightfoot mentioned in a 2018 interview. “It was a stepping stone for me.”

Lightfoot made his widespread radio debut with the only (Remember Me) I’m the One in 1962, which led to a lot of hit songs and partnerships with different native musicians.

When he began enjoying the Mariposa Folk Festival in his hometown of Orillia, Ontario that very same 12 months, Lightfoot solid a relationship that made him the competition’s most loyal returning performer.

By 1965, Lightfoot’s tune I’m Not Sayin’ was successful in Canada, which helped unfold his title within the United States.

As the people music growth got here to an finish within the late Sixties, Lightfoot was already making his transition to pop music with ease.

In 1971, he made his first look on the Billboard chart with If You Could Read My Mind. It reached no 5 and has since spawned scores of covers.

Lightfoot’s reputation peaked within the mid-Nineteen Seventies when each his single and album, Sundown, topped the Billboard charts, his first and solely time doing so.

During his profession, Lightfoot collected 12 Juno Awards, together with one in 1970 when it was referred to as the Gold Leaf.

In 1986, he was inducted into the Canadian Recording Industry Hall of Fame, now the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

He obtained the Governor General’s award in 1997 and was ushered into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001.